A BIOGRAPHY OF HUMAYUN FARIDI

Faridi was always a rebellious and unsettled person. He never listened to anyone. It was difficult to tame the rebel inside him. He was always against the societal norm and so led his life in his own way. He believed that we have only life and so it should be enjoyed to the fullest. He did what he felt was right. He would not settle for any less and was always looking for something more. He always wanted to give the best; was not satisfied with just average performance. He would redo shots again and again until he himself was satisfied. He would even make sure his co-stars also do their best. His thirst for exploring was never quenched; he was never content. He is known as the ‘versatile’ actor because of his acting in challenging roles. He was always up for experiments. That is why he did not limit himself only in theaters but also tried for films and dramas. His craving for acting took him to all the mediums of the entertainment industry. He was so dedicated, loyal and passionate to acting that he had never tried to do anything else besides acting. For him, acting was like a religion. Faridi enjoyed acting in all of its forms despite living in such a country where committing one’s life to only  acting is discouraged. Unfortunately, such an actor had left the media industry after ruling it for over decades because of the lack of quality cinema and television drama. Furthermore, due to his adverse state of health and lifestyle, at the age of 58, he could not continue to have the ability to return to the stage or theater. 

There is a story that before joining the field of acting, Faridi wanted to become a chef as he used to love food. Later, he developed a taste for movies, however he could not afford the tickets to watch them. Ironically, at the last days of his life, he could not eat food due to his health condition but he had become one of the greatest Bangladeshi actors of all time. 

Faridi was such a creative person that he had brought new concepts into the Bangla film industry. One example is that he used to suffer from an asthma problem and so at the beginning of his career, he would face difficulty in saying long dialogues in one breath. He then started to scan the dialogues so intelligently that scanning soon became a ‘style’. That is how he used to throw long dialogues with small hidden breaths. Moreover, for the sake of acting, he would even take health risks in makeup to portray the characters as authentic as possible. 

According to another eminent actor Afzal Hossain, Faridi’s friend and coworker of that time, Faridi “was a complete actor; he was a born actor.”

He used to motivate people by saying, if people say something about you behind your back, you know you’re doing something noteworthy; you keep on doing your work and you will be victorious. (“যদি তোমার সম্পর্কে মানুষ তোমার পিছনে কিছু বলে, জেনো‌ তুমি কিছু একটা করছো, তোমার কাজ তুমি করে যাও মন দিয়ে। জয়ী হবে” ). One of the popular tv drama directors of recent times, Chayanika Chowdhury claims that she remembers this quote of Faridi whenever she feels disheartened or low. 

Despite having such a rebellious character, Faridi was a soft and kind hearted man. He was well respected for his kind acts. One of his old friends told one of the incidents after Faridi’s demise. One day, Faridi observed an elderly man by the roadside, shivering in the cold. He then stopped his car and offered the man his own shirt and coat. He returned home bare clothed. This shows how big-hearted Faridi was.  

Another such kind story says that when Faridi was a student at Jahangirnagar University, one morning he heard some gunshots; two boys were hunting birds. He asked the guard to bring him those boys. Seeing Faridi, those boys became terrified; their faces turned pale. He felt sorry for them. He then fed them breakfast and calmly made them understand that it is not right to kill birds as the birds are our guests and an important animal for the environment. Since that incident, bird hunting has been prohibited at the Jahangirnagar University.   

Because his life was full of unsettling, in marital life too, he could not stay with one person till his death. At first, Faridi got married to Nazmun Ara Begum Minu in 1980. The couple together had one daughter, named Shararat Islam Devyani. However, just after 4 years of marriage, in 1984, the couple got divorced. 

Faridi then married his longtime colleague, Suborna Mustafa, a popular actress of still now, in the same year (1984). This couple also got divorced in 2008, after being married for 24 years. Their divorce news shocked their fans as everyone loved this couple.  

Though his own marriages did not last long, his ideology about love is still accepted and respected by this generation. One of his quotes says that even after showering someone a sea like love, he who has an inclination towards another, let him not be mine (“এক সমুদ্র ভালোবাসার পরেও যার অন্যের প্রতি থাকে ঝোঁক, সে আমার না হোক”). This is a very popular quote among this young generation. Another famous quote of him is that Don’t love someone so much that if the person leaves you, you will be destitute and helpless (“কাউকে এতটাও ভালোবাসো না, যতটা ভালোবাসলে মানুষটা তোমাকে ছেড়ে চলে গেলে, তুমি নিঃস্ব ও অসহায় হয়ে যাবে”). This is dedicated and a warning to those people who are ready to give away themselves for their love.

‘Nil Nakshar Shandaney’ marked Faridi’s television drama debut in 1982. Later, he appeared in many other TV dramas. Some of the notable shows which will forever remain in the hearts of drama lovers are Bhangorer Shobdo Shuni, Songsoptok (1987–88), Pathar Shomoy (1989), Dui Bhai (1990), Shiter Pakhi (1991), Kothao Keu Nei (1992–93), Shomudrey Gangchil (1993), Kachher Manush, Doll’s House (2007–08), Durbin Diye Dekhun, Bakulpur Koto Dur, ‘Dubhuboner Dui Bashinda, Ekti Laal Shari, Mohuar Mon, Shiter Pakhi, and Priory Jon Nibash.

Kan Kata Ramjan, a character from the drama “Shongshoptok,” gave Faridi a tremendous amount of fame in the country. 

Through television dramas, Faridi became more well-known to the entire country. 

Faridi has also acted in about 250+ different films. He gained fame from this stream too. Some noteworthy ones are Hulia, Dohon, Shontrash, Bachelor, JoyJatra, Shamolchaya, Ekattorer Jishu, Vondo, Mayer Odhikar and Bishaw Premik, Bichar Hobe”, Palabi Kothaye (directed by himself), Hulia, Matritto (for which he won the National Award), Joyjatra, Shyamol Chhaya, and Aha. Ek Cup Cha, in 2014, was his very final drama which was released posthumously. 

It is said that Faridi wanted to portray Shakespeare’s King Lear as his last work on the stage. But, he could not fulfill that dream because of his health condition and eventually death.